The Mole (SSB Version)
by TaffyLover12
Summary: When 60 Smashers are called together to play a game for a possible prize of 5 million coins, there will be drama, torn friendships, fights, danger, issues about trust and maybe...even some romance...But who going to win that all-important cash prize? Well, the one who answers the question: Who is the Mole? [HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]
1. The Rules and the Contestants

**THE MOLE (SSB VERSION)**

 **Rules (quotes below are said throughout the game):**

 **Mole (noun): A spy, a double agent who establishes cover long before beginning espionage.**

 **60 players are about to travel on a journey of a lifetime. Each new location will bring new tests for our players. Each passed test will add money to a group pot that only one player could win and could grow to 5 million coins.**

 **One of them, however, is a Mole. A double agent, working for us, to sabotage the group's efforts by preventing them from passing the tests. No-one knows who the Mole is, so no-one knows who they can trust.**

 **Not all of them will complete the journey as every few days there is a quiz about the Mole, questions like...what gender are they? How old is the Mole? Even: what did the Mole have for breakfast?**

 **The contestant who scores the lowest on the quiz is "executed" and must leave the game immediately. It is a simple game: be observant, expose the Mole, claim the money. Each player has a strategy but only one will win: the one who correctly answers the question: who is the Mole...?**

 **XO**

 **Name: Ai (Villager)**

 **Occupation: Mayor**

 **Age: 15**

" _Everyone may think a small girl like me hasn't the brains or the muscle to win this game. I'll prove them wrong! I'll prove them all wrong!"_

 **Name: Bayonetta**

 **Occupation: Umbra Witch/Angel Hunter**

 **Age: 605**

" _Listen darlings, all you need to win this game is talent...and some good eyes...which I have. Want to have a look?"_

 **Name: Bowser**

 **Occupation: Evil King**

 **Age: 32**

" _Guessing the identity of such a spy is easy! It's all in the...oops, shouldn't give my strategy away, should I?_

 **Name: Bowser Jr.**

 **Occupation: Junior Painter**

 **Age: 11**

" _Criminal? The Mole is a criminal, setting this all up! They'll be trialled for this...and I know because I've been on the bad side of the law most of my f***ing life!"_

 **Name: Captain Douglas Falcon**

 **Occupation: Ace Racer**

 **Age: 34**

" _Anyone who dares insult Captain Falcon shall get a Falcon Punch in the face!"_

 **Name: Cloud Strife**

 **Occupation: Swordsman**

 **Age: 25**

" _If I said don't talk to me, I meant it! Jeez, you're so annoying. I didn't come here to make friends, I'm here to win."_

 **Name: Dark Pit**

 **Occupation: Lone Angel**

 **Age: 25**

" _WHO CALLED ME PITTOO!? I CAN HEAR YOU GIGGLING, YOU GODDAMN KIDS! WHERE ARE YOU!?"_

 **Name: Diddy Kong**

 **Occupation: Ammo Expert**

 **Age: 16**

" _Leave it to me, mates! I shall show what Diddy Kong can do! Watch and learn!"_

 **Name: Donkey Kong**

 **Occupation: Crystal Coconut Protector on Kongo Bongo Island**

 **Age: 30**

" _Look, the fact someone got hurt just shows how dangerous this game is and will get. I wouldn't be surprised if the game is cancelled because of this!"_

 **Name: Dr. Mario**

 **Occupation: Doctor**

 **Age: 27**

" _Just because I'm a freaking doctor doesn't mean I know everything! Stop bugging me, you little…um…never mind…"_

 **Name: Duck Hunt Duo**

 **Occupation: Hunters**

 **Age: 6 (dog), 4 (duck)**

" _Just a dog!? That hurts! I'm just as intelligent as a human! I hate humans anyway, just because they treat me differently!"_

 **Name: Falco Lombardi**

 **Occupation: Ace Pilot**

 **Age: 20**

" _Why am I bunking with you? Talk about mixing fire with fire!"_

 **Name: Fox McCloud**

 **Occupation: Pilot**

 **Age: 21**

" _Who are calling a ladies' man, Peach? I happen to get along with ladies, sure…but that doesn't mean I can't…you know…like guys…and there is one guy I…sort-of like…"_

 **Name: Ganondorf**

 **Occupation: Evil Wizard**

 **Age: 35**

" _Outta the way, runts! Let me show you how to do REAL magic!"_

 **Name: Greninja**

 **Occupation: Ninjitsu Teacher**

 **Age: 19**

" _Chill it. Fighting isn't going to do any favours. Jeez, if I wasn't a peacemaker, this hotel would be full of brawling players. Today isn't my day…"_

 **Name: Ike**

 **Occupation: Military Commander**

 **Age: 26**

" _Not many of us left now, huh…? The challenge is nearly over…thank the stars…"_

 **Name: Jigglypuff**

 **Occupation: Singer**

 **Age: 18**

" _People say I have a beautiful voice. Do you agree, sweetie? If you say no, do prepare for my ritual of drawing on your face with a marker. That will be fun because you're a penguin."_

 **Name: Kamui**

 **Occupation: Swordsman**

 **Age: 24**

" _In a game of espionage, the spy is someone we wouldn't expect...well, saying that, does that make the dog and duck suspicious or am I over-speculating...?"_

 **Name: King Dedede**

 **Occupation: Dreamland King**

 **Age: 29**

" _Who are you callin' fat? You're the one who eats too fast! That's the pot calling the kettle black!"_

 **Name: Kirby**

 **Occupation: Star Warrior**

 **Age: 8**

" _Look, call me a puffball all you want. It won't stop me getting out of this! Just give me that lift, OK?"_

 **Name: Link**

 **Occupation: Hyrulian Hero**

 **Age: 18**

" _Hero of Time…? It's just some fancy title someone gave me. It's cool and all…but I want to be more than a generic hero-who-gets-the-lady. I want to be a true champion!"_

 **Name: Little Mac**

 **Occupation: Boxer**

 **Age: 23**

" _Shall I punch him in the face for you? How dare he talk to you like that after what happened!? That bastard!"_

 **Name: Lucario**

 **Occupation: Meditator/Aura Master**

 **Age: 22**

" _I'm trying to meditate over here, you know? I know SOME people seem to be able to function without sleep but SOME people cannot, so go to sleep already!"_

 **Name: Lucas**

 **Occupation: Psychic/Student**

 **Age: 9**

" _Everyone thinks I might be the Mole because I'm super smart and everyone thinks you're the Mole because you're laid-back and not taking the game seriously…want to be friends?"_

 **Name: Lucina**

 **Occupation: Ylissian Princess/Swordswoman**

 **Age: 18**

" _Just because I wore a mask once doesn't mean I'm wearing one now! I'm innocent, I tell you! The chances of me being the Mole are quite low, since there are quite a many of us."_

 **Name: Luigi**

 **Occupation: Ghost Hunter**

 **Age: 24**

" _GHOSTS…!? Who-a put ghosts in-a here…!? MARIO!?"_

 **Name: Mario**

 **Occupation: Plumber**

 **Age: 27**

" _Mamma mia…and I thought this game was going to be-a easy…"_

 **Name: Marth**

 **Occupation: Altean Prince**

 **Age: 22**

" _Who says a prince cannot win? Just because I'm royal doesn't mean I'm loaded."_

 **Name: Mega Man**

 **Occupation: Robotic Master**

 **Age: 17**

" _Hehe…um…I don't get it. And it's not just because I don't get human humour!"_

 **Name: Meta Knight**

 **Name: Swordsman/Star Warrior**

 **Age: 21**

" _Fight me! …Does that sound a little too macho? Shall I try that again? Just give me five."_

 **Name: Mewtwo**

 **Occupation: Protector of Kanto**

 **Age: 23**

" _Pitiful. To think that was a simpler challenge than ours. Lucky I was on the other team. At least WE won some money."_

 **Name: Mr Game and Watch**

 **Occupation: Chef**

 **Age: 20**

" _All the best winners win off their stomach! Hahaha! I mean, how can you win without the sufficient energy required? Crap, I sound like the Doctor."_

 **Name: Nana**

 **Occupation: Mountaineer**

 **Age: 15**

" _Who is the Mole…? Don't ask me that. I haven't any suspicions…maybe except him..."_

 **Name: Ness**

 **Occupation: Psychic**

 **Age: 9**

" _I love my friends! They are not the Mole! How can you even suggest that, Dedede?"_

 **Name: "Captain" Olimar**

 **Occupation: Spaceman**

 **Age: 22**

" _Hands up if you think I'm weird. Don't worry, I won't take offense."_

 **Name: PAC-MAN**

 **Occupation: Ghost Buster**

 **Age: 17**

" _OK, that's it! I'm coming for you Mole! Come out wherever you are, starshine! Wait, what did I just say…?"_

 **Name: Palutena**

 **Occupation: Goddess of Light**

 **Age: Over 1000, no-one really knows**

" _A Goddess must always be honest, Pit, and I'm not the Mole you seek. Seems to be you're suffering from paranoia…"_

 **Name: Peach**

 **Occupation: Mushroom Kingdom Princess**

 **Age: 25**

" _I'm not just a damsel, Zelda, unlike you. I can defend myself just fine."_

 **Name: Pichu**

 **Occupation: Electrician's Apprentice**

 **Age: 7**

" _Stop mocking me just because I'm younger than you! There are many things young kids can do that stinky adults like yourself can't do!"_

 **Name: Pikachu**

 **Occupation: Traveller**

 **Age: 14**

" _Say that again to my sister and you're dead, mallet-waddler."_

 **Name: Pit**

 **Occupation: Centurion Commander**

 **Age: 25**

" _I really need to stop sitting on my laurels…the metal gets too hot and burns my hair. OK, your face is creeping my out. What did I say?"_

 **Name: Popo**

 **Occupation: Mountaineer**

 **Age: 15**

" _This is a simple mind game. The Mole is trying to sow fear onto us to make us scared of each other. The closer we become, the more exposed the Mole is. Get me?"_

 **Name: Red Ketchum**

 **Occupation: Pokémon Trainer**

 **Age: 11**

" _I have a cousin whose a champion, y'know! I'm going to be a champion too! You watch!"_

 **Name: Reflet**

 **Occupation: Magician/Wizard**

 **Age: 22**

" _Look, I may be famous but don't rule me as useless and vain! I can help with those barrels. Let me at them!"_

 **Name: Robotic Operating Buddy (or ROB)**

 **Occupation: Robotic Assist**

 **Age: Hasn't got one**

" _Humour has no effect on an angry person. Recommended remedy: leave them alone."_

 **Name: Rosalina**

 **Occupation: Cosmic Princess**

 **Age: 23**

" _L-look, I'm scared, OK? I've never been in a haunted house before! Cut me some slack, OK?"_

 **Name: Roy**

 **Occupation: Swordsman**

 **Age: 21**

" _Am I going to win, you ask? No. Everyone else is too good. I won't win…though I guess I might if I'm extremely lucky."_

 **Name: Ryu**

 **Occupation: Street Fighter**

 **Age: 26**

" _I'm going to do this one-handed. You watching…?"_

 **Name: Samus Aran**

 **Occupation: Bounty Hunter**

 **Age: 28**

" _That over there and that over there! Simple instructions! Don't get at me if I'm bossy because I'm just trying to help us win!"_

 **Name: Sheik**

 **Occupation: Ninja**

 **Age: 22**

" _Once I get that money, I'll finally be able to become a fully-fledged ninja. Believe me, ninja-training costs a fortune in this day and age!"_

 **Name: Shulk**

 **Occupation: Mechanic**

 **Age: 19**

" _Hang on! Hang on! How can I navigate you if you're all shouting at me at once!? Getting into the cameras takes time, dumbasses!"_

 **Name: Solid Snake**

 **Occupation: Undercover Agent**

 **Age: 31**

" _Give me a break. An agent like me is beyond suspicion surely? We're usually working for the government or whatnot. Still suspect me? Do at your own risk."_

 **Name: Sonic the Hedgehog**

 **Occupation: Runner**

 **Age: 17**

" _I can't go fast!? Come on, MH, that isn't fair! It's like taking Ganon's magic away or breaking Red's Poke Balls. You're just a big rule breaker, aren't you?"_

 **Name: Toon Link**

 **Occupation: Adventurer**

 **Age: 10**

" _Want to sail with me sometime, babe? No…? Oh, OK. I'll go pester your ninja counterpart then…"_

 **Name: Wario**

 **Occupation: Micro-game Entrepreneur**

 **Age: 27**

" _Garlic gives you health! Eat some yourself! Don't diss me because I actually EAT a vegetable. Haha!"_

 **Name: Wilma (Female Wii Fit Trainer)**

 **Occupation: Fitness Coach**

 **Age: 20**

" _Breathe in and out. That's it, keep it up. No wonder you're stressed all the time. You seem to never do yoga."_

 **Name: Wolf O'Donnell**

 **Occupation: Pilot/Mercenary**

 **Age: 24**

" _Being on the dark side of life does bring one benefit: I never get shocked by shocking things…unless they are REALLY unexpected."_

 **Name: Yoshisaurus/"Yoshi"**

 **Occupation: Islander**

 **Age: 13**

" _Why does Master Hand like torturing us? We're here, stuck in a cold camp with a small fire, we have already two suffering from the cold and I think I'm going to be the third if WE DON'T ESCAPE SOON!"_

 **Name: Young Link**

 **Occupation: Swordsman**

 **Age: 15**

" _Never been good with art but hey, whattya think of my masterpiece? Of course, it's not done yet but…OK, what's with the snickers!?"_

 **Name: Zelda**

 **Occupation: Hyrulian Princess**

 **Age: 22**

" _OK, that's enough you two! Stop fighting, jeez! I'm surprised at you two. Fighting over the fact someone read someone's journal while repacking the bags…wow, you two are really immature aren't you?"_

 **XO**

 _ **23rd July – 6 months before the game starts**_

 **RING RING!**

"Hello?"

"Hello! Sorry if I caught you at a bad time."

"No, you didn't. Sorry but…who is this?"

"My name is Master Hand. I'm calling because I would like your assistance in something."

"Go on."

"You're in Smash Brothers, right? The tourney-fighting thing run by my brother?"

"Of course."

"Good! You see, I'm hosting a Smash version of the hit game show The Mole and, well, to be blunt, I would like you to be the titular Mole."

"Isn't a Mole an animal though?"

"This is the noun kind. A Mole is a secret agent or a spy. You'll be working for the producers."

"Sorry, but I'm not good at being sneaky..."

"It's not hard, honest. All you have to do is subtly sabotage the challenges I put before the contestants. Sound reasonable? You automatically get a million if you say yes."

"A…A million…!? Yes! I'll do it! I'll be your little secret agent."

"Meet me in six months' time at Yoshi Island Airport. This type of thing takes AGES to set up, don't you know. Anyway, see you then."

The phone went dead. A smirk crossed the Mole's face.

"This should be fun…"

XO

 **There we go! The contestants are ready, the Mole has been…um…tempted into it and the rules are set. Who will be the first Mole victim? WHO IS THE MOLE!? OK, I'll stop spamming questions. See you soon!**


	2. Episode 1 Part 1: Stashed Away

**The Mole (SSB Version)**

 **I own no-one in this story unless stated.**

 **Episode 1 – START!**

 _ **Episode 1, Part 1: Stashed Away**_

The cameras were rolling. The lights were on. The Mole was back. Well, revamped but it was still back, ready for all to see. He was ready, with "he" being Master Hand, a demi-god who usually looked like a massive floating right hand, but for the sake of not scaring people, he was in his human illusion form, where he was a short-black-haired male, who looked in his early twenties, with sharp amber eyes, pale but youthful skin and a genuine kind smile. He wore clothes similar to that of L from Death Note: a white t-shirt, low-slung jeans and white sneakers. He didn't look scruffy, but he didn't look too smart either. The director did a countdown.

3…

2…

1…

LIVE!

The screen behind Master Hand changed. He was walking forwards, with the camera being moved back in time. As he walked, the shadowed trophies of the contestants were seen, primed for action.

"The trophies on either side of me only represent one thing: that a new season of The Mole is about to begin. Each player, every Smasher, will have their own strategy, own tactics and own method of gameplay. However, as we already know, one of these 60 Smashers is a Mole, working for us to sabotage the group's efforts to add money to a group pot. If the players are observant, they may be able to expose the Mole and win that money for themselves…but that person will only win if they correctly answer the question: who is the Mole?"

The titles then rolled, showing all 60 contestants. This didn't take too long if you fitted two on each slide. The screen went to black at the end and reopened at an airport.

Not just any airport…Yoshi Island Airport.

XO

 _ **Yoshi Island Airport – Café – 4:30pm**_

A small group of players were sitting inside the café, waiting for Master Hand to turn up.

"How long is it going to take for Master Hand to get here?" Lucas moaned, sipping his third glass of apple juice.

"Oh, stop whining. Higher-ups are ALWAYS late." King Dedede heartily responded, chuckling. Kirby scowled at his nemesis. He really hated it when Triple D was getting full of himself.

"He did say…4 o'clock, right?" Lucas' friend Ness asked. Rosalina, nodded.

"That's right. He did. We've been waiting half an hour. Did we get the wrong day?" Dedede pulled his invitation out of his pocket.

"No…we didn't. 4 o'clock at Yoshi Island Airport on 12th January. We're in the right place…ah." His face fell but his eyes widened in shocked realization. He was sweating.

"Ah…what…?" Lucas asked.

"…We're meant to meet in the lobby."

"WHAT!?" All of them gawked, jaws comically on the ground. Dedede shoved his hands up in defence.

"Not my fault I couldn't read the goddamn writing!"

"Come on!" Rosalina urged, grabbing her bags. "He's going to kill us!" The four rushed out of the café (Dedede paid) and rushed into the lobby. True enough, everyone else was there, glaring at them as they rushed in. Master Hand in particular wasn't pleased.

"Where on earth were you?"

"In the…phew…café…" Lucas explained, keeled over as he tried to get his breath back. "Dedede screwed up directions."

"I DID NOT!" Dedede literally then blew a casket but stopped when the glares he was receiving got stronger. Master Hand cleared his throat.

"Now…moving on. Usually, in the Mole, you get journals. However, if you look around you, you may notice we're a little short on numbers. I invited 60 of you. There are only 59 of you here. I won't give out journals until we are up to scratch."

"Let me guess, they're also late." A purple-haired swordsman called Ike deducted. Master Hand chuckled.

"No. The producers intercepted him on his way here and have stashed him away for a little while."

"Oh, come on! That's heartless! That's essentially kidnapping!" Lucas yelled. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Oh Lucas…this is your first test, you see. I like to call it **Hide and Stash**. Find the missing contestant before midnight and you get 50,000 coins." Everyone's eyes grew into dollar signs.

"50,000!?" They all gawked, looking around. The Mole, of course, played along. They knew where the last contestant was. After all, it was THEIR idea of the location. They would never get it.

"Hang on, MH." A hand went up. It belonged to a young girl, Ai. "Who are we looking for?"

"A very good question. Giving bios out now." Each player got something of a police-styled sheet. It contained a name, an age, last known sighting and all that. There was just one thing missing: a photo.

"OK…but what does he look like?" Master Hand gave Ai the signal of secrecy, by tapping his nose with his finger, earning a room full of groans and grumbles. Something silver flew into the air. Bayonetta caught it.

"A key…how useful."

"You see, the last contestant has four shackles on him. That is one key. You'll find the other three by finding clues. Someone here know him?"

There was a few seconds of silence.

"I-a do." The voice was Mario's. "We do-a Olympics together."

"So…you know what he looks like!" Pit happily exclaimed, getting a nod. "OK, at least we have ONE person who knows this…" He looked at the sheet. "…Sonic, is it?"

"Yeah." Peach confirmed, looking at the name and slightly confused on how Pit could not pronounce it properly.

"There are some base rules." Master Hand then announced. "I am leaving the initial search up to you. Any clues you do find will be in the forms of riddles and must be responded to online which will reward you with a key and the next location. You can go in groups but the smallest group I will allow are groups of 5. Also, if you do not rescue Sonic before midnight…" A devilish smirk crossed his face. "…he'll get immunity from the first execution. Furthermore, he has a negativer on his person."

"What's that?" Lucina asked.

"It's an anti-exemption. If the mission is a failure, he can give it to any one of you at any time prior to the execution's quiz, meaning two points will be deducted from your quiz score. You cannot argue with him if he does happen to give it to you. Understand?" Everyone nodded. "Also, if he hasn't been found by 9 o'clock tonight, I'll allow 1-minute calls every 30 minutes to him for clues. However, there is a limit to what he can tell you. Once you find him and unlock him, he has to send me a message via a messaging website on a laptop which he has been provided with. Only then will you receive the money. I'll leave it to you. Oh, and leave your luggage here. We'll transport it to the hotel while you complete the challenge." He disappeared in a teleport.

"Mamma mia…and I thought this game was going to be-a easy…" Mario groaned, looking at his rival's last known sighting: a place known as the Tower of Jewels.

"Tower of Jewels…I know that place!" Yoshi, a native of Yoshi's Island (hence the name) exclaimed. "It's a famous landmark in New Pork City that hosts many important crowns and gemstones from all over the world! It's like a museum."

"Why would Sonic be there?" Lucina asked.

"Here's a question we never asked: did Sonic even KNOW he was going to be on a game show…?" Everyone was silent at Nana's question. Master Hand suddenly appeared again.

"No." He vanished again, making everyone sweat-drop. Ness then noticed a departure board and his face lit up.

"There are small planes bound for New Pork City every 10 minutes!" Ness rushed off, only to return with an upset look. "The plane can't fit all of us. Only a third of us can go. That's about 20 of us."

"OK. A third will go to New Pork City. Once we get a clue, another group can go to the next location. For all we know, Sonic's no longer in that city. It's too convenient." Dark Pit deducted, earning many nods in agreement.

"I agree with the emo angel."

"I AM NOT AN EMO, DEDEDE!" Dark Pit raged at the Dreamland King, making Dedede sweat bullets for the third time that day.

"Come on." Peach moaned, leading her group of 20 to the departure lounge before anyone could say no.

XO

 _ **? – 4:58pm**_

"I still can't believe you kidnapped me!" Sonic angrily exclaimed, shuffling uncomfortably on a small wooden stool with four shackles that were latched around his ankles and wrists. He had no idea where he was.

"Come on, it's not so hard. Lucky for you, you get to sit." Master Hand smirked, standing against the wall just behind him. Sonic glared at him.

"It's only a small bench."

"At least you could get immunity if they fail."

"Immunity _does_ sound pretty sweet." It made him smile a little. He opened the laptop he had been given to get the results of the riddles Master Hand had supplied him with. He had three riddles. They didn't even make sense to HIM. His frown suddenly returned. "But you HAD to knock me out."

"OK, our operatives were a little rough."

"A little rough!? That's not…oh, I give up." He was then silent. "What time is it?"

"5 o'clock."

"Oh shit…" He got a glare from the host for swearing.

XO

 _ **New Pork City – 5:15pm**_

 _ **Group A (City Team): Pit, Lucas, Rosalina, Lucina, Bayonetta, Mario, Ness, Meta Knight, Olimar, Ryu, Peach, Dark Pit, Popo, Nana, Wolf, Fox, Luigi, PAC-MAN, Ganondorf, Cloud**_

A small group of 20 were on the first flight. The plane was just landing at the airport. The sky was beginning to turn into its signature sunset colours, since it got darker a lot sooner in the winter months. There was quite a bit of snow on the ground, which there wasn't on Yoshi's Island. As they rushed out of the airport, the city was HUGE. Bright lights blinded them as cars blared past and people in their groups bustled past with big shopping bags and dogs and anything else shopaholics had. Lucas sweatdropped.

"Jeez, what's the occasion?"

"Well, it is just after Christmas. Guess the January sales are on." Fox answered, seeing many advertisements in shop windows.

"Anyone know where the tower is? Ness? Lucas? You two come from here, don't you?" Ryu bluntly asked, his arms crossed.

Silence.

Ness and Lucas sighed as they looked at each other sadly.

"Just because we come from this country doesn't mean we know the layout. We've never been here before…our adventures never really brought us here and when it did, we didn't have any time to explore." They got discontented looks but at least they believed them.

"Ok…now what? We're running out of time. I want that money!" Wolf moaned, now dragging his feet as the group careered onto one of the busy high streets. Fox gave him a glare.

"Oh, stop whining. This is a rescue mission. Screw the money."

"We…DO want the cash though Fox. Don't go screwing it up just because you don't care about getting rich." Lucina scorned, making the aerial vulpine roll his eyes.

"What a greedy lot you all are…" He muttered under his breath. Only Wolf heard him, but he held his tongue.

They walked for a solid 15 minutes and learned that, surprise surprise, they were lost.

"Someone want to get a map?" Ness finally suggested, stopping. Rosalina nodded.

"I'll go get one." She went off and came back a few minutes later, a bit more flaky than when she left. "God, how many people?"

"Did you get the map?" Bayonetta asked. Rosalina nodded and produced it. As the group were discussing on which icon represented attractions or tourist places, Ness looked up at the skyline and sweat-dropped.

"Um…I found the tower." They looked up and across from where they were. Decorating the skyline a little way from them was a tower covered in diamonds. It was literally right on top of them. A quick look on the map showed how quickly they had cocked it up.

"Oh, damn. Good eye, Ness! We probably already walked past it." Fox patted the boy on the head and the group began running for the tower, which didn't take that long. However, by the time they got there, it was 5:45pm. The tower itself was massive and was fuchsia-glassed with a diamond slowly circling on the top like a music-box ballerina. It took their breath away.

"According to the bio, Sonic was last seen here before he was, quote on quote, "kidnapped"." Pit eyed Lucas, who pouted. They saw a policeman patrolling the outside of the tower and he looked like he meant business. He even had a police dog with him. Lucas decided to talk to him.

"Oh, hey officer."

"Sorry kid, tower's closed. Some guys in black did a small spot of kidnapping. Some tourist. Mobian, I think he was. Got attacked, knocked out and bundled away. Just a teenager as well. Poor kid."

"He got…attacked?! I thought kidnapping was enough." Ness growled. The policeman gave them a long look.

"If you know something…"

"It's for a game show. He's fine. It's our challenge to find him." Wolf enclosed, making the policeman nod in understanding.

"Oh…well…let the show's producers know that they're in hot water." He abandoned the group, muttering dark stuff under his breath. The special mobile given to them by Master Hand to receive the riddles suddenly buzzed in Mario's pocket. He got it out.

"Looks like the hedgehog has sent the first riddle." Lucina pointed out the obvious, earning looks that basically said "yes, we know."

 _ **Can you solve this riddle?**_

 _ **If you**_ _ **break**_ _ **me, I will not stop working. If you touch me, I might be captured. To have me is the greatest gift of all. What am I?**_

Everyone blinked blankly.

"Haven't a clue." Rosalina moaned.

"Surely if something is broken, it will stop working." Cloud mused, thinking of machinery. Everyone nodded. He was right.

"If it says it can be captured just by being touched, it must be fragile…is it something made of glass?" Rosalina suggested. Nana shook her head.

"Glass doesn't "work" though, does it, Rose?"

"Oh yeah, good point…"

"Shall we call the other team and see if they have any ideas?" Bayonetta asked, holding her mobile, ready to call Shulk. Everyone nodded. She pressed "call" and waited.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hey Shulk, darling. Bayonetta here. We're having trouble with the first puzzle. We can't seem to get our heads around it."

"Go on."

"If you break me, I will not stop working. If you touch me, I might be captured. To have me is the greatest gift of all. What am I?"

There was murmuring.

"I know!" It was Ai's voice. "It's the heart! If a heart is broken, it keeps beating. If it's touched by someone, it's captured by love. We all need one, it's the greatest gift. The answer is heart!"

"Try "heart"." Bayonetta instructed Mario, who typed it into the special phone. A green tick came up. He did a thumbs-up to Bayonetta, who let out a sigh of silent relief. "Good one Ai, it was correct. Talk to you soon." She ended the call. Another message, this time more personalised, came up on the screen.

 _ **Well done! I personally thought that one was hard but good job! The next key is in a plant pot in the lobby in the Tower of Jewels (good luck getting in. MH said there was police around). Afterwards, go to the Beanbean Kingdom. Meet at the castle. I'll send you another riddle then.**_

 _ **Sonic**_

"I'll get it." Roy exclaimed, running into the lobby and, after arguing with a few more police officers who pushed him out forcibly , came out a few minutes later with something silver in his hand. "…Got it!"

"The Beanbean Kingdom…? Me and my brother have-a been there before." Luigi suddenly revealed, meeting Mario's gaze, who nodded to back his younger brother up. "We went there to save-a Peach's voice." Peach giggled nervously at this.

"It was scary having bombs and dynamite for vocabulary…"

"Anyway, Ai and Shulk are probably waiting for the clue. Call them back, Bay." Pit ordered, earning a frosty side-glare from the Umbra Witch.

"First, don't order me around. Second, I hate the pet name Bay." Nevertheless, she began dialling Shulk.

"Oh, hey Bay." Bayonetta took a few seconds to swallow her rage.

"Hey, we have the new location. The Beanbean Kingdom."

"The Beanbean Kingdom…the next plane there isn't for another hour."

"You're kidding me!?" She resisted the urge to face-palm in anger. "OK, hang tight. We'll see if we can get a flight."

"Isn't going to happen." Dark Pit cut in, holding his own phone which showed the New Pork City airport departure timetable. "No planes go between New Pork City and the Beanbean Kingdom."

"We could take the subway." Wolf suggested, pointing to a subway station a little further down the street that they were on. However, when they got there and checked the routes, Dark Pit sighed.

"No linkage."

"Come on, really?"

"Remember, Wolf, the Beanbean Kingdom and New Pork City are different countries. I doubt they're connected by subway." Rosalina pointed out. Wolf sweat-dropped and scratched his head sheepishly.

"By several stops was what I was thinking."

"We're running out of time. Shulk's next group will have to take the next plane."

XO

 **? – 6:05pm**

"This place is driving me CRAZY!" Sonic moaned, wishing he could at least stretch his aching legs. He felt tired and painful, probably because of how he was "kidnapped". He checked the location of his future rescuers on a tracking device Master Hand, who wasn't there anymore, had given him. He saw part of the group was finally on a plane to the Beanbean Kingdom and, specifically, the castle of Queen Bean. He wished he could secretly give them a clue. But what clue could he give? All he ever heard was the occasional sound of what seemed to either trains or trams running past whatever goddamn building he was in. "Come on, you guys…you have to win this…"

XO

 _ **Beanbean Kingdom Castle – 8:00pm**_

 _ **Group B (Kingdom Team): Captain Falcon, ROB, Red, Lucario, Mewtwo, Ai, Mr. Game and Watch, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Ike, Bowser, Snake, Pichu, Pikachu, Marth, Shulk, Dr. Mario, Zelda, Wilma**_

By this time, it was nearly completely dark. It least the group had Yoshi on the team. He had been to the Kingdom before apparently after Mario took him on a vacation a few years previously. Also, they had to endure an hour's wait for the blasted plane and then the plane ride itself was around 45 minutes. They had 4 hours left to find Sonic. They were beginning to learn how hard this game was.

"At least we finally made it to the castle." Pichu smiled.

"Tell me about it. My feet ache like hell." Wilma moaned, which usually wasn't normal. She hadn't done her normal exercises for a while. That was probably the reason. Their special phone buzzed.

"Ooh, riddle!" Ai cheerfully cheered. She had answered the first one and she was fairly confident on the second.

 _ **Let's see how you fare with this one!**_

 _ **You may enter but you may not come in. I have space but no room. I have keys but they open no lock. What am I?**_

"…OK…I take it back. I'm stumped." Ai sunk. Shulk was going through it in his head. Enter…Space…Keys…

"Wait…I think I have it!"

"Go on!" Diddy urged.

"It's a computer." Everyone had blank faces.

"How is it a computer?" Red asked.

"Enter key, space key, letter keys? On a keyboard?"

"Oh yeah, he's right." Yoshi nodded, snatching the phone from Wilma and typed the answer "computer". A green tick came up. The group cheered.

"YES!" Bowser punched Captain Falcon playfully on the shoulder. "Put it there, Falconmeister."

"Anyone who dares insult Captain Falcon shall get a Falcon Punch in the face!" Falcon warned, rubbing his arm and obviously not liking the nickname. Bowser pulled a half-confused half-angered face.

"I'm not insulting you."

The phone buzzed again.

 _ **Wow, well done! Seriously, you guys are good! Even when I got the answer, I didn't get it but it's correct so the reasoning doesn't matter. The next key was dropped into the fountain. The last location is Neo Bowser City. I think I'm there somewhere…I hope. Just…get me out of here soon, 'kay? This place is driving me bats.**_

 _ **Sonic**_

"He's going crazy…!? Oh god, we need to get him out of there ASAP!" Ai shivered. She couldn't imagine what horrific place the producers had put Sonic into. Everyone agreed.

"Neo Bowser City…I'll text Corrin's team to head over there. I remember that there is an 8:35pm plane heading there. There's one here at 9:00pm and one at New Pork City for 9:10pm. We need to all meet up." Mewtwo gave Lucario a cold look.

"Why?"

"We all have different keys! We have to get one, Corrin will get the last one and Bayonetta's team has two." Mewtwo understood and stayed silent.

"Where's Ai?" Diddy asked, looking around. The pink haired girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Here!" She came running back, her legs up to her knees wet and she had a key in her hand.

"You could have told us."

"Lu, you were arguing about planes! Time is of the essence now!"

"She's right." Wilma cut in. They began running to the airport. Ai glanced at her key.

"Don't worry Sonic, we're on our way!"

XO

 **Ending it there! Will they save Sonic in time? Or will he get exempted and have the power of hindering someone else's dream of capturing the money pot? You'll have to wait and see!**


	3. Episode 1 Part 2: Money or No Money?

_**Episode 1, Part 2: Money or No Money?**_

 _ **New Pork City Airport – 8:50pm**_

Bayonetta checked the times of all three planes as they prepared to check in.

 _ **Plane A – New Pork City to Neo Bowser City – 9:10pm departure – 9:55pm arrival**_

 _ **Plane B – Beanbean Kingdom to Neo Bowser City – 9:00pm departure – 9:35pm arrival**_

 _ **Plane C – Yoshi Island to Neo Bowser City – 8:35pm departure – 9:25pm arrival**_

"We're meeting all teams at 10:00 outside the airport. That gives us 2 whole hours to find our missing hedgehog."

"Sounds-a reasonable." Mario mused. Luigi nodded as well. Everyone was tired. Everyone was annoyed that it had taken this much time to get the final location.

Neo Bowser City. It was a dangerous metropolis, one full of noise and darkness.

The perfect place to hide a contestant.

XO

 _ **? – 9:45pm**_

By this point, Sonic was pretty much asleep, curled up near the stool. MH appeared out of nowhere and sweat-dropped when he saw the sleeping hedgehog. As much as he didn't want to wake him up, he had to.

"Sonic." He tapped his leg with his foot. Sonic snorted awake, yawning loudly.

"Huh...?" He saw MH. "Oh, hey."

"Sorry to wake you. Just to report, nearly all of The Mole contestants have arrived in the city. You can make 1-minute calls to them every 30 minutes...if you want."

"I'll wait until everyone has landed...and then I'll call. Oh, and MH?"

"Yes?" Sonic gave him a tired but distinct glare.

"You owe me a dream."

XO

 _ **Neo Bowser City Airport – 9:58pm**_

Bayonetta's team finally rushed out of the airport and saw the other two teams waiting.

"Finally! Where have you been?"

"They wouldn't let us off." Pit answered Falco's question. The clock struck 10:00pm. Suddenly, Mario's phone began ringing. It was an unknown number.

"Should I-a answer it?" He asked.

"Could be MH. Answer it I say." Rosalina suggested. Everyone more or less agreed with her. Mario answered it but put it on speaker.

"What took you so long to answer!?"

Mario knew that voice.

"...Sonic?"

"Oh, hey Mario. Thank goodness, a familiar voice! Where are you guys!?"

"We're outside the airport. Have you got another riddle for the last key?" Peach asked. There was the sound of clanging. His shackles, probably.

"Yeah, hang on..." The sound of tapping. "Got it here. This is the last riddle, just text me the answer, 'kay? The riddle is this: **There are four days which start with the letter 'T'. Two of them are Tuesday and Thursday. Can you name the other two?"** The line went dead, leaving 59 blank and confused contestants.

"Um...is this a trick question or is he being serious?"

"Ai, MH sets the questions, not Sonic. He's just doing as he's told." Mewtwo scorned, earning a dejected nod from Ai. Lucas clicked his fingers.

"What about today and tomorrow?"

"Those aren't real days." Ness pointed out. Lucas's fists clenched in confidence.

"I know I'm right. Try it!"

"You sure there aren't any other possible answers?" Rosalina pushed, still not fully convinced. Lucas shook his head. Rosalina nodded and typed the answer. A green tick came back. She blinked. "He was right."

"Whoa..." Luigi looked at Lucas. "Nice-a going!"

"Hehe...oh stop..." Lucas blushed. The phone buzzed.

 _ **Well, you got it! The key is back in the departure lounge, among the magazines in one of the shops. As for my location...I still don't have a clue, I'm afraid. I will give you a few clues. I'm in a really dark place, in a small room and I keep hearing something like tram or train horns. Sorry, but if MH would show me my surroundings that would be swell. See you all later...hopefully!**_

 _ **Sonic**_

"We have to wait 30 minutes until we can call him again, don't we...?" Bowser Jr. moaned, getting a chorus of grumbles and groans.

"The train line...Neo Bowser City has a high train line so he must be quite high up somewhere. A tower?" Yoshi mused.

"Dark room..." Captain Falcon began thinking and thinking but eventually lost his rag. "URGH, CAPTAIN FALCON DOESN'T KNOW!"

"Chill out. None of us do." Wario said.

"Guess we check out the train lines and-a find some targets." Mario instructed, beginning to lead the group.

He _did_ have a point.

"Hang on, let's get the key first. I'll get it." Lucina interrupted, running back into the airport and running back out again about 5 minutes later with the last silver key in her hand. "That makes 4 keys!"

"Let's-a go!" Mario had to do his catchphrase, earning multiple sweat-drops from his fellow contestants.

"Typical Mario." Some said.

XO

 **? – 10:20pm**

"OK, I think we've had enough darkness." Master Hand clapped, waking Sonic up AGAIN. This time, it really ticked him off.

"You owe me two dreams now."

He was blinded when MH opened some window. His chains extended, much to his joy. He stretched.

"Man, that feels good." He looked out the window and his pupils shrunk. "...Oh god."

"Enjoy the view." MH disappeared, leaving a stunned and now-slightly scared hedgehog behind.

"Oh chaos...what trouble have I got into now...?"

XO

 _ **Neo Bowser City - 10:35pm**_

"Want to call him now? It's been 30 minutes." Cloud asked, checking his watch. Mario nodded and dialed the number. He frowned a little when the voicemail came through.

"Are you-a sure it's-a been 30 minutes?"

"Definitely!" Cloud yelled back, not liking Mario's forwardness of doubting his timekeeping. "He rang at 10 o'clock. It's 10:35 now! Why isn't he picking up?"

"A twist to the game, perhaps?" Ai suggested. Captain Falcon noticed.

"Captain Falcon is wondering why that tower is dark." He pointed to a large illuminated tower way off in the distance, but the top few floors were in pitch darkness. Bowser chuckled.

"Renovations. Look, this city was named after me for a reason. It's a towered museum, but the top floor, which was an observatory, was old and dangerous so they shut the lights off so they could renovate and rebuild them. If we got closer, you'd probably notice the scaffolding. Anyway, stop getting distracted by little things." This mission wasn't going well. The Mole smirked to themselves.

"Try calling him again." They said, making Mario nod. They silently giggled to themselves, making sure no-one saw them do so. This time, the phone line went through but there was no voice on the other side.

"Sonic, you-a there?"

No response, but he could hear a loud train horn. He could hear the clanking of the chains but there was no speech.

"Give over." Ai snatched the mobile from him, took it off speaker and decided to talk to him alone. "You OK, Sonic? Ai here. Are you...OK?"

"OK?" Came a scared tone. "No, I am NOT OK."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I have a phobia of heights, OK? And I'm..." She heard a gulp. "...v-very high right now..."

"You're high up?" She said that out aloud so the other team could hear her. "What else can you see?"

"City lights. I'm right next to a train line...I think it's trains anyway. Quite a way from...whatever building I'm in I think is the airport. I can see it from here. It's right in the distance though."

"Now, what I'm going to ask you next is really going to scare you but you have to tell me. I want you to look down and see what sort of building you're in."

"Are you crazy!?"

"I know you're scared but it's the best way to narrow down targets. Can you...?" The line went dead. The 1 minute was up. "Oh, damn."

"Well, that was...entertaining...what did you get?" Bayonetta asked, arms crossed.

"He's really high up, which doesn't help because he's scared of heights. He's really close to a train line and he can see the airport but it's right in the distance."

"That could mean he's on the outskirts of the city. The metropolis is massive." Lucas concurred.

"HANG ON!" It was Master Hand's voice, who suddenly teleported from somewhere. "I forgot to say! There is a helicopter at disposal, but there is room for only 3 people."

"...Why didn't you say this in the first place!?" Ike moaned, making Master Hand chuckle.

"Well, this is a test."

"Did you even know that Sonic has acrophobia?" Lucas asked, earning confused glances. "It means a fear of heights."

"He has what?"

"A FEAR OF HEIGHTS!" Everyone yelled at once, making Master Hand reel back a bit.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure he's fine. As for the helicopter, it's on the top of a building near here." He disappeared, earning a group worth of frosty glares.

"Who has flown a helicopter before?" Young Link asked.

"I have." Snake raised a hand.

"I'm good at navigation. I'll go." Red also raised a hand.

"Just because I have the phone now, I'll go too." Ai volunteered. No-one liked the fact that Ai now had the phone but they were too tired to argue. Master Hand, again appearing from nowhere, showed the three contestants to the helicopter and gave them a map of the city. Snake fiddled with the controls and the helicopter span into life. Ai looked down. She could understand why Sonic was scared. It WAS a long way down.

Now the challenge was getting heavier in its stakes.

XO

 _ **? – 11:15pm**_

He wasn't going anywhere NEAR that window again. The laptop was nearly out of battery, but was now plugged in when Master Hand had arrived at 11 saying he didn't know about his phobia.

Of course he didn't know. Not many people did. It was just a childhood thing. He had nearly fallen before. That sort of scarred him.

Much like water.

He wasn't thinking about that now. His fear of water was a lot worse than his fear of heights.

Thing was, he was usually in control. He just didn't look down. But here, alone, in some tower with dazzling city lights below him...he felt like screaming. It was like he was fearing the tower was going to fall down or something. Which was ridiculous. He knew it but his mind was using that thought to scare him. Not only was he scared, he was getting cold and tired. Mind you, it was January and the window was wide open. The sound of a helicopter entered his ears. He saw the flashing lights of something in the air slowly survey the city.

Was that them?

MH hadn't mentioned a helicopter.

It was probably some police 'copter.

XO

 _ **Neo Bowser City (Helicopter Team) – 11:30pm**_

"There are quite a few towers that could be where that hedgehog is..." Snake mused, now wearing a headset with a microphone because the engine in the helicopter was so loud that no-one could hear his voice. "Want to call him, Ai?"

"On it!" She, too, wore a headset. She dialed the number and immediately it went through.

"...A-Ai?" She recognized how tired and frightened he sounded but something else mixed in with the voice. It sounded almost like he was…cold.

"Hey! Listen, can you hear a helicopter nearby?"

"A helicopter?"

"Yeah, MH said he had one and failed to tell us at the start. I'm with Red and Snake. Can you hear the helicopter?"

"From a w-way off, yeah."

"OK, can you see the helicopter's flashing lights?"

"U-um…sort-of."

"You have to look down and see what building you're in. I know you don't want to but it may help you overcome that phobia of yours."

"Ugh…f-fine." She could hear him move. She heard a loud yell, almost like a weak scream. "I'm not doing that again!"

"What did you see?"

"Golden lights…some were broken. The floors I'm on are dark."

Dark at the top…golden lights…she got it!

"Sonic, I know what building you're in. Hold tight, we're coming to get you." She ended the call. "Snake, remember that tower Falcon pointing out earlier?"

"The museum one?"

"Yes! That's where he is! The darkened floors!"

"You're joking. We won't get there in 25 minutes!"

"The ground team will work something out." Red joined in, finally taking part in the discussion.

"I damn well hope so…" Snake moaned. Ai dialed Mario.

"Mario?"

"Hey-a Ai!"

"Tell Falcon he's a genius. That tower he pointed out earlier is where Sonic is. He's right at the top!"

"On our-a way!" He cut off. Ai sunk in her seat, but inside she was pleased with herself.

XO

 _ **Neo Bowser City (Ground Team) – 11:35pm**_

The team was running for as fast as their legs could go. They had 25 minutes to get to the tower and get to the top. Near impossible, but Fox, Captain Falcon and Bayonetta, who had the keys, were quicker and eventually reached the foot of the tower. They had 13 minutes.

"Damn." Fox scorned, busting the doors and reached the elevator. It was already near the top floor.

"Screw the lift. Take the stairs." Bayonetta could easily fly up but Fox and Falcon were on foot and, needless to say, they were knackered when they reach what they thought was the top. Unfortunately, none of the three had a watch.

"The next flights of stairs are closed off. We have to be very silent." Bayonetta shushed the boys, who nodded. They squeezed through the "no entry" gate and rushed up the next three flights, eventually being submerged in darkness. Luckily, Falcon lit the way by igniting his hand. There was only one door. It was unlocked. They peeked inside. Again, pitch black. Something cold hit their faces; wind. It blew Falcon's flames out, making him scream. A scream came back. Bayonetta rolled her eyes and took control, taking out all four keys. Fox could see someone shaking in the shadows.

"…You're Sonic, right?" Fox asked the shape. They got a nod. Fox was the first to get to him, snatching a key from the Umbra Witch and undid a shackle on Sonic's left ankle. Bayonetta did the right ankle and Falcon did the wrists. He managed to ignite his hand again and he closed the window. Fox could feel how cold Sonic was.

"You OK, hedgehog?" Bayonetta asked. Sonic nodded, even though he was badly shivering.

"Much better. Hang on, I'll message MH." He grabbed the laptop and sent a quick "I'm rescued" message to the big boss. He thrush it aside and got to his feet, though he suddenly and dangerously lurched, making Fox grab him.

"Take it easy. Come on; let's get you out of here." Fox smiled, taking off his jacket and placing it around the hedgehog's arms, earning a look of confusion. "You're shivering like mad. What was MH thinking, leaving that window open in the middle of January?"

"He's mad, kidnapping me like that. One moment, I'm at that Jewel Tower place. The next minute, I get clobbered over the head and I wake up here. That jerk. He even owes me two dreams."

"You can't give dreams." Falcon pointed out. Sonic rolled his eyes.

"I was being metaphorical." He suddenly stopped. "I never asked. Who are you, guys?"

"We're on The Mole, too. I'm Fox, the racer is Captain Falcon and the witch is Bayonetta."

"…I'm not good with names but OK." A sudden smirk crossed his face. "Race you back down." He ran off, disappearing in a flash. That made his three rescuers blink.

"God, he's fast." Bayonetta praised, whistling. Fox playfully scoffed.

"Guess that's why his name is Sonic. Come on, he'll probably be impatient as well."

"I'M WAITING!" Came a loud shout from the ground floor. Falcon eyed Fox.

"You got that right."

XO

 _ **Outside Museum**_

As the four emerged, Sonic was surprised at how many people were waiting.

56\. 57. 58. 59. 60. 60 in all including him. Gee.

"Congratulations!" Master Hand, who appeared behind the group, cheered, clapping. He only got a frosty silence.

"If you weren't the host, you'd be dead right now." Sonic snarled, his bottled up rage now flaring up, making his rescuers back away as his fur bristled, making him look bigger than he was.

"MH, you owe Sonic an apology." Rosalina hissed. Master Hand shrugged.

"The producers give the orders, not me."

"Ugh, OK. Guess the producers owe him an apology." The cosmic princess rephrased her question. "Hang on, the money."

"I would give to you…" Master Hand started but his face didn't look excited. "…but you didn't pass the challenge."

"WHAT!?" Everyone gawked, excluding Sonic, who wasn't sure on the conditions of victory.

"You mean, we went through all that and we don't get the 50 grand?"

"50 grand? Are you saying you rescued me for nothing? We don't get 50,000 coins?!" Sonic angrily asked Falco, who shook his head. Sonic growled at this. Master Hand was waving a phone to get attention.

"I received the message a minute after midnight. You fail."

 **Group Pot: 0 coins**

"No, that isn't fair." Ai moaned. "Sonic went through all that! He's cold, tired and had to go through his…what was it? Acrophobia? YOU OWE HIM SOMETHING!" Master Hand had been stunned into silence. He eventually groaned in defeat.

"Fine. I'll give you half the money."

 **Group Pot: 25,000 coins**

"BUT THAT'S THE LAST TIME I GIVE IN TO DEMANDS!" He yelled, but the contestants were too busy high-fiving and whooping to pay attention. Master Hand whistled for silence. "OK. Now, I do have a slight bit of bad news. The producers were moaning on and on about how much luggage you guys have so half of you will have to do a bit of repacking before we head to the hotel."

Silence.

"Are you f***ing kidding me?" Falco spluttered. "It's after bloody midnight!"

"Yes, I know. However, giving Sonic's condition, my original idea of having the first 30 contestants, ordered alphabetically, had to be slightly re-arranged. I'm swapping Dr. Mario with anyone of his choice."

"Anyone want to swap?" The doctor asked, not expecting an answer.

"I'll swap." The voice was Roy's. "I don't mind doing some repacking."

"Sorted! Also, it's about time I gave out your journals. Here you go." A pile of 60 journals appeared in a pyramid and everyone grabbed one.

 _Falco: Finally, I can write in this bloody thing._

 _Sonic: I hate MH so much right now! Kidnapping was enough. I was really going to punch him one if he made me repack some people's bags. Thank the lord my name begins with S._

 _Dr. Mario: Sometimes, my occupation does come in handy. I got out of repacking. Wasn't expecting Roy to volunteer to take my place. He's low on my radar, as well as Sonic (the guy got kidnapped for crying out loud!) and Captain Falcon. Right now, I suspect Ai to be the Mole. She seems too smart to be normal._

 _ **Repack Team:**_ _ **Ai, Bayonetta, Bowser, Bowser Jr. Captain Falcon, Cloud, Dark Pit, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt Duo, Falco, Fox, Ganondorf, Greninja, Ike, Jigglypuff, Kamui, King Dedede, Kirby, Link, Little Mac, Lucario, Lucas, Lucina, Luigi, Mario, Marth, Mega Man, Meta Knight, Roy**_

 _ **Hotel Team: Dr. Mario,**_ _ **Mewtwo, Mr. Game and Watch, Nana, Ness, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Palutena, Peach, Pichu, Pikachu, Pit, Popo, R.O.B, Red, Reflet, Rosalina, Ryu, Samus, Sheik, Shulk, Snake, Sonic, Toon Link, Wario, Wilma, Wolf, Yoshi, Young Link, Zelda**_

XO

 _ **Dragon Hotel – 12:16am**_

 _ **Room 12**_

"Thanks for looking after me, Doc." Sonic smiled, still shivering. Dr. Mario nodded as he tossed a blanket around the hedgehog's arms.

"It's my pleasure. What sort of person would I be if I didn't tend to the ones who need assistance? I mean, I am a doctor." The two laughed.

"You may be Mario's cousin and you may look near identical, but you two are polar opposites."

"Yeah, I know. Mario's got that Italian side of him. I don't. That's why he has the accent and I don't. Do you two even get along anyway?" Sonic's smile faded.

"...We still hate each other to a degree but it's not as hostile as when we first met."

"Mario is one to hold a grudge. I mean, have you seen him and Bowser? Even in kart-racing, they try and kill each other." Sonic shuddered badly then, a broken cough exiting him. Dr. Mario felt his forehead. "Uh-oh...don't tell me you're getting a fever."

"I hope not. I don't want to get taken off the game for medical reasons." He coughed again. Dr. Mario flicked his nose.

"Silly boy, you won't be taken off the game just because of a fever. It's not like you're on tablets or anything, right?" He meant it as a joke but when he didn't get a laugh, he blinked. "You're...not, right?"

"...Well..."

"What kind?" His tone sounded suspicious. Sonic raised his hands in defense.

"It's nothing criminal! They just...you-know...iron supplements. I'm slightly anemic."

"Anemic? Seriously?"

"Hey, blame my parents for a bad diet."

"Are they in your bag?"

"Yeah. I actually forgot to take one this morning. Maybe that explains...well, how I'm feeling.

 _Dr. Mario: I wasn't expecting Sonic to tell me that. Anemic...that's bad. _

"I'll tell MH. He can get them for you." A tired smile came across Sonic's face.

"Yeah, OK."

XO

 _ **Museum Lobby (Repack Team): 12:31am**_

Each player had been given two bags to repack. The majority of them were done. Ai decided to do Sonic's bag. She was surprised at what she found.

"Hey, Junior, look at this." Bowser Jr., who had already done his bag and was doing Wario's bag (easier said than done when the entire bag smelt like garlic), scuffled over to the girl in wonder.

"What's up?" Ai held up what had sprung to her attention, a small tube of what seemed to be medicine. "He's sick?"

"I haven't an idea. I hope they're not illegal drugs."

"Come on, Ai, he's 17. He wouldn't be able to buy them anyway. He didn't look like a druggie."

"Excuse me!" It was MH. The group stopped. "Who is doing Sonic's bag?"

"I am." Ai raised her hand. MH noticed the tablets in her hand.

"Can I have that tub please?"

"He's confiscating them." Junior giggled. MH shook his head.

"No, he needs them." He teleported away, leaving a speechless group but they shrugged it off and continued unpacking. Ai found something else: Sonic's journal.

"You can't read it!"

"Is there a rule against it?" Junior paused for a second but shook his head. "See? It's fine." She flicked open the book. It wasn't particularly full but there was a list at the top. Ai's eyes widened. It was his top 3 suspects for the Mole.

Number 1 was Falco.

Number 2 was Lucas.

Number 3 was...

"I'm a...suspect...?" She choked, throwing the journal down in anger. "I'm not the Mole..."

"I believe you." Junior chuckled. "Here's an idea. Want to join my alliance?"

"Huh?"

"Me, Lucas and Red are in a group. Wanna join?"

"Um...OK...I don't see the harm."

"Cool!"

 _Ai: I don't know if I can trust Junior at this point but right now, I'm trying to think of a cool prank to get Sonic with._

 _Junior: I wish Ai hadn't read the hedgehog's journal. Sweet girl has turned into mischievous mastermind in 4 seconds flat._

XO

 _ **Dragon Hotel: 12:45am**_

 _ **Room 12**_

"Here we go. Got those tablets of yours." Dr. Mario announced as he re-entered the room.

"Good." The doctor then noticed something was wrong with the hedgehog. He looked weaker than before and looked faint. He quickly got one tablet out and gave it to Sonic, who didn't hesitate in consuming it. He gulped down a bit of a glass of water the doctor had given him. He felt a bit better, but it would a bit for the tablet to do its magic. A knock came at the door. It was MH, who was holding a small black bag with a green thumbprint on it as well as his name in spiky green font.

"Got your new bag here." He noticed Sonic's pale complexion. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I've taken my tablet. I'll be OK in a bit."

"If you say so..." He left, not fully convinced. As Sonic opened his bag, he almost screamed. Crawling in his bag was a Horned Elephant, its jaws snapped. He scrambled back in panic. Dr. Mario quickly grabbed it, opened the window and gently tossed it on the balcony.

"That's one sick joke." He moaned, closing the window.

"You're telling me…" Sonic replied, trying to calm himself. His breathing was clearly panicked from the surprised shock. There was only one person who he had heard carried bugs everywhere.

Ai.

 _Sonic: I'm going to KILL that kid._

 _Ai: I wonder how much Sonic loved my "present". I'm so evil._

XO

 _ **Room 17**_

"You really put a beetle in Sonic's bag?" Lucina asked. She had checked to see if Ai was OK, seeing as the girl was only in her early teens, not even that. "That's a bit…malicious, isn't it?"

"He thinks I'm the Mole! I've got to prove to him I'm not!"

"The more you retaliate, the more he's going to suspect you."

Ai was about to retort but stopped short. She HAD no retort. Lucina smirked.

"I win."

 _Lucina: Is Ai the Mole? No, it's too obvious. I don't suspect anyone yet. We've only had one challenge so far…_

XO

 **END! Now, with Sonic rescued and with tensions flaring, what will the second and last challenge of Episode 1 be like? Will they win more money or flop short? Also, who will Sonic give the negativer to (and no, I didn't forget about it)?**

 **Toodles!**


	4. Episode 1 Part 3: Antiques Roadshow

**I'm back! OK, Episode 1 is officially halfway through! I'm a little upset no-one has voted on my profile poll but it just takes a while for it to take over and gain attention. If you're reading this, please do vote! If you get it correct, I'll read and review your stories, author's honour! Anyway, the second challenge is about to begin and, oh jeez, is it going to get heated. No more spoilers. Enjoy!**

 **XO**

 _ **Episode 1 Part 3: Antiques Roadshow**_

 _ **Dragon Hotel (Neo Bowser City) – 9:55am**_

 _ **Room 24**_

Yesterday's events were whirling in Red's mind. He hadn't played a large role, only really contributing during the helicopter part of the last challenge. A minute off target but they still got half the money. They deserved it, considering what Sonic had gone through. He shuddered. Last night's cold weather was still having an effect on him, as he still felt numb, though it was mainly his toes.

"Damn...hope we win more money today..."

 _Red: I want more money to be put into that pot. The fact we very nearly got nothing for rescuing that hedgehog (who had to go through his fear of heights and much else). Hope he's OK today and will help us earn some dosh. _

He looked at the time. It was approaching 10 o'clock. He couldn't be bothered to stay in bed so he quickly showered, got dressed and left his room, locking the door behind him.

XO

 _ **Breakfast Room – 10:00am**_

As Red entered the room, only 4 other people were awake. One of them was Pikachu and his little sister Pichu, as well as Mario and Peach.

"Ah! Good-a morning Red." Mario greeted. Red smiled back.

"Morning all. Man, my toes are still numb from last night."

"Ditto." Pichu moaned, earning a giggle from Pikachu. "Oh, ha-ha. The Pokémon joke was unintentional."

"Still funny." He carried on eating his pancake. Red helped himself to a bowl of Cheerios and sat across from Peach, just as Lucario and Link came down.

"Oh, hello you guys." Link waved. Lucario eyed him and helped himself to breakfast. Link sat next to Red. "You OK?"

"Yeah. What's up with you and Lucario?"

"What can I say? The guy hates my guts."

"I don't hate you." Lucario cut in, not turning around. "In this game, you can't trust anyone."

"True..."

They would have talked more but more people came in. It was a group of 3, mainly Ai, Bowser Jr. and Popo. Nana, Popo's twin sister, tottered in a few minutes after that.

"Has anyone seen Sonic this morning?" Ai asked.

"Don't expect him to get up yet, considering last night." Peach replied, swallowing a mouthful of jam-covered toast.

"Who said I wouldn't be up yet?"

Everyone stared at the doorway. Sonic was standing there, grinning.

"Oh, hey-a Sonic. Sleep well?" Mario asked. Sonic chuckled nervously.

"Could have been a better night, but it wasn't too bad. Thanks for asking." He met Ai's mischievous gaze and scowled at her. She just scowled back.

"What's with those two?" Lucario asked, sitting next to Red, but on his other side. Red shrugged.

"Didn't think those two had hostility."

"Only because she put a f***ing Horned Elephant in my bag!" Mario cringed. That was the first time he had ever heard Sonic swear and, judging how angry he was, it wasn't going to be the last. Ai rolled her eyes.

"Over reaction? You're the one who suspects me to be the Mole." Everyone stared at Sonic, who, for a moment, didn't have a retort but then growled at the little girl.

"Look, Ai, everyone in this game is a damn suspect! And..." He trailed off. "...hang on, how did you know I suspected you?"

There was a very long period of very awkward silence.

"She read your journal." Junior then revealed. Ai stared at him.

"HEY! SNITCH!"

"You...looked in my journal...without permission from me?" The hedgehog's voice was cold and slow, shaking with rage. His fur was beginning to go a darker shade of blue. Mario had heard about his "Dark" form that came from extreme anger. He had to stop this before things got out of control.

"L-Look. There's-a no need to-a fight."

"Stay out of this, Mario." Came a raging reply.

"OK, that's enough you two!" A new voice came. It was Zelda, her hair still dripping wet from her shower. "Stop fighting, jeez! I'm surprised at you two. Fighting over the fact someone read someone's journal while repacking the bags…wow, you two are really immature aren't you?" Sonic seemed to calm down after that telling-off but he stormed out of the room. Ai felt a bit shaken up. He had scared her.

"Well...that was...um, eventful..." Nana murmured. Her brother groaned.

"That guy has anger issues."

"It's his-a Dark form." Mario explained. "His brother Tails told me-a about it. Only comes-a up when he's really mad."

"Yikes. No-one anger him again...OK?"

"Not funny, big bro." Pichu scowled at her brother. Pikachu just twitched his ear.

"I wasn't trying to be funny."

 _Pichu: I hate my brother sometimes. Both Sonic and Ai have risen on my list of potential Mole suspects, but I think, out of those two, it's the latter._

 _Mario: Everyone on Sonic's world knows his dark form means trouble. Lucky that Zelda stopped the fight before the hotel went up in flames (which would probably happen)._

XO

 _ **Hallway – 10:15am**_

"Jeez, not a good night..." Fox moaned, exiting his room, Room 16, and made his way to the stairs. As he passed Room 12, which he knew was Sonic's room, he paused. He placed his ear against the door. Was he hearing crying or was it just him? He knocked. "Sonic, it's Fox. You OK?" He got no response, but he heard the crying noises quiet down as if he was trying to hide the fact he was upset. "Being quiet doesn't mean I don't know you're not upset."

"Just...go away Fox."

"Not going to happen." He felt something poke his foot. It was a key with "12" imprinted on it. He twisted it into the lock and peeked inside. He saw the hedgehog lying on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. He seemed to be still sniffing. "Uh-oh..." He sat on the bed and stroked his friend's shoulder. Sonic looked at him. Tears were still welling up in his emerald eyes. "W-What happened?"

"You don't want to know."

"Let me guess, was someone hurting you?"

"No...well, not exactly. But everyone in the breakfast room hates me."

"Oh come on, I bet they don't."

"I let my anger take me over again! I told myself that wouldn't happen again! If Zelda hadn't calmed me down...god knows what would happen."

"What would have happened?"

"…God knows. Something bad. You see, I have a different form when I get angry: it's called my Dark Form. It hasn't surfaced for a while but it nearly did. Bet I scared the living daylights out of Ai."

"You were angry at Ai? Why?"

"She was reading my journal during the repacking test last night. She's in my top three for being the Mole because she's super smart like Lucas, who also is on my list. She got mad and planted a creepy bug in my bag. I just got really angry..."

"Well, that's the natural response. I'd be pretty angry if that happened to me as well." He took Sonic by the shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. "They're not mad at you, I'm sure. I bet they don't hate you. You just get angrier more easily than them. I mean, wait until you see Falco angry. He blows a casket so easily. It's like flicking a switch." Sonic laughed at this and wiped his tears away.

"I'm such a wimp."

"No, it's OK. It's fine to cry sometimes."

"Is everything OK in here?" The door opened and it was Popo. "O-Oh, sorry Fox. Didn't know you were in here as well. Everyone was wondering if Sonic's OK after all that downstairs."

"See? Told you they don't hate you?"

"I-I tend to overanalyze things. Tell them I'm OK. Where's MH anyway?"

"Late. Trust the host to be late." Popo laughed. "We'll wait for you two. Everyone else is more or less up now...except Luigi but he sleeps like a log according to Mario. I was going to wake him up. See you later." He ran off. Fox rolled his eyes.

"Kids..." He glanced at Sonic. "You OK now?"

"Yeah, much better. Thanks Fox."

"No problem."

 _Fox: This game may be designed to make people suspect each other, but I suspect me and Sonic are going to go all the way. We have an alliance now. He wants to include Falco, which I agreed to. Don't know why._

 _Sonic: Including Falco is genius on my part, seeing as I think he's the Mole. It means I can keep an eye on him. If he isn't the Mole, he's clever and we can share clues. Pure genius._

XO

 _ **Breakfast Room – 10:35am**_

"WHERE IS HE!?" Kirby yelled, now really annoyed.

"Lighten up, he'll be here...eventually."

"SORRY I'M LATE!" Came the response to Wilma's comment. He looked out of breath, even though he was capable of teleportation. "I was watching some...criminal footage."

"Criminal footage...?" Rosalina asked. MH nodded.

"Two of you have committed taboo acts, meaning I have to deduct money as forfeit. First, 10,000 for telling a non-player about the game's existence." Lucas glanced at Wolf, who knew that applied to him.

"That...was my bad...sorry."

"We didn't know about that rule. It's OK." Lucas assured, even though most players were shooting daggers at him.

"Second, a further 10,000 for reading another player's journal. I watched that fight from earlier and it was lucky it didn't become physical." All eyes were on Ai, who knew she had no-one but herself to blame. Sonic couldn't help but growl. She had broken a rule and they had lost another 10,000 coins which meant...

"WE ONLY HAVE 5,000 COINS LEFT!?"

"That is correct, Ness."

 **Group Pot: 5,000 coins**

Sonic sunk in his seat.

"We so suck."

 _Sonic: Thanks a lot Ai and Wolf, thanks a goddamn lot._

 _Ai: ...Curiosity really does kill the cat. I so hate myself right now._

 _Wolf: How was I meant to know telling non-Mole contestants about the game was forbidden? MH should have TOLD us that!_

"Don't you worry, there is another chance to get more money in today's test. But remember, tonight, one of you will be executed and will become the Mole's first victim. But, before that, pack your bags. We're heading off to a different location." Everyone scrambled upstairs to reorganize their bags and lined up besides two minibuses which fitted 30 on each. They didn't know where they were going but, a couple of hours later (about 2:30pm), they arrived at the place.

 _ **WELCOME TO NEW DONK CITY!**_

"This place is named after me?" Donkey Kong hooted, now very excited. His friend, Diddy Kong, face-palmed.

"You get excited about the smallest of things, DK."

The buses then stopped and everyone spilled out of the two minibuses.

"I'm going to be really nice. You guys can explore the city to your heart's content…but be back here in 2 hours, you hear me? It's 2:35pm now. I want you back here for 4:35pm. If not, all money in the pot shall be forfeited."

"OH, COME ON!" Bowser roared, unleashing a spew of fire into the air from rage. MH chuckled.

"I like punishing you."

"Yeah, no doy. Come on guys!" Wilma ran off, followed by most of the group. Some of them stayed behind, a group that consisted of Peach, Rosalina, Sonic, Ai and Ike.

"No exploring for you?" MH teased. Rosalina scowled at the host.

"I don't want to be responsible for losing the 5,000 coins we still have thanks to SOMEONE'S mishap." She glared at Ai, who was close to tears. Ike patted her shoulder. As much as he too was angry with her, she was just a child all things considered.

 **[Cue exploration, shopping and chaotic city montage!]**

XO

 _ **Crystallex Park – New Donk City – 4:30pm**_

Most of the contestants were back and some were still arriving.

It was 4:34pm. Wilma, Captain Falcon and Marth hadn't showed up.

30 seconds.

20.

10.

5.

"WE'RE HERE MH!" Wilma then screamed, rushing into the park with Falcon and Marth hot on her heels. They stopped at the group just as the clock hand hit the 7. MH chuckled.

"No money lost!"

"THANK GOD!" Everyone yelled in unison. MH then rubbed his hands together.

"However, it's time for the second and last challenge of the first Mole episode! I like to call it **Antiques Roadshow.** "

"Like the...TV show...?" Yoshi sweat-dropped. MH nodded.

"Yup. I'll split you into groups of 5. That means 12 teams. I've taken 12 possessions out of your bags and they are hidden throughout the city. Not too well hidden, but hidden enough. You have to find them within 1 hour with the clues I shall provide. Every successful team shall receive 2,000 coins, meaning the maximum jackpot in 24,000 coins. Out of a possible 74,000, it's official that you guys..."

"Suck?"

"...Thank you for speaking candidly, Reflet. However, as always, there is a catch. Throughout the city are Antique Robbers. They are armed with tranquilizer guns, though you yourself will have guns too."

"Are these tranquilizers dangerous?" Red asked. MH shook his head.

"It'll just make the shot area a bit numb and it may induce some side-effects of drowsiness, dizziness and nausea but it's nothing a good remedy shot couldn't fix. Because of these effects, if you do get hit, you'll be teleported out of the game. You'll also get teleported back to the park after finding your antiques. Any possessions left behind at the end of the one hour shall be collected and sold."

A shocked silence.

"Kidding! The robbers will collect them and hand them back to me...hopefully in one piece. Anyway, for possession captains..." He took a list out. "The first possession taken is **a Magic Tome Book**."

"That's my magic tome book!" Reflet yelled. "You have no right!"

"Your fault for bringing valuables into the game." MH devilishly smirked. "Next... **a Warp Star.** "

"My Warp Star got stolen!?" Kirby raged, wandering forward to take his place as "captain".

"Third... **a Golden Watering Can**."

"That would be mine. You have no idea how many gardening tasks I had to do to earn that!" Ai moaned, joining the wizard and puffball. Sonic couldn't help but snicker. She was getting what was coming for her.

"OK, moving on...whose is the..." He stopped, squinting. "...how do you pronounce it? **A** **Poltergust 5000**?" Luigi's jaw was hanging open.

"Professor E. Gadd gave-a me that!" He limply walked forward, sulking.

"Tough luck. Who owns the **Majora's Mask**?"

"Me, now that it's drained of maleficent power." Young Link joked. He was too bothered in losing the mask. He swore it still gave him bad luck.

"The **Wind Waker**?"

"Why pick on two Links?" Toon Link huffed, joining the other captains. 6 had been chosen. 6 were still in the dark. The Mole was enjoying this.

"Seventh antique is a... **World Ring**?"

"What in the earth is a World Ring?" Zelda asked. It sounded mythical, hence her speaking up.

"It's...er...mine." Sonic raised his hand. "Don't ask how and why, but let's just say the 1001 Arabian Nights isn't just a legend. That was a souvenir from my Arabian friend Shahra."

"Yeah, right." Ai huffed, earning a glare.

"You. Zip it."

 _Sonic: That was so embarrassing! At least me and Ai were not working together...thank god._

"Next on the list is a **Silver Laurel Crown**."

"Why I oughta...!" Dark Pit raged. His spare laurel crown was priceless to him.

"Calm it Pittoo." Pit tried to calm his darker brother but got struck by the darkened angel's bow.

"Call me Pittoo again and you die."

"OK, OK! Jeez, agro much..."

"ANYWAY! The ninth object to find is a **Disabled Smart Bomb…** wait, what!?"

Fox and Falco exchanged strange glances. They knew they hadn't brought any bombs with them, naturally.

"Ugh, it's mine. I was planning to sell it for big money. Guess the producers sniffed it out. Don't worry, like MH said, I disabled it. It won't blow up."

"It better not. What were you thinking, Wolf!?" Falco asked the Star Wolf leader. The lupine shrugged.

"I have a bounty on my head, birdie. I like to keep my money count as high as possible in case I get in a pinch." As he walked to the others, Falco was shaking with rage.

"B-Birdie...!?"

"Easy Falco, just don't blow a casket."

 _Fox: Can I kill Wolf now? What was he thinking, bringing a bomb onto the Mole?_

 _Falco: ...If he calls me Birdie again, I'll shoot his brains out._

 _Wolf: It's fun to mess with Star Fox. Hehehehe..._

"Number 10...is a **Pikachu-styled Game Boy**."

"HEY! MOMMA GOT ME THAT!" It was Pichu. Pikachu sweat-dropped.

"I told you to leave that thing at home."

"I can't sleep without playing Tetris..." She pouted, taking her place.

"Second to last...is **a Navy Face Mask**."

"Face mask? You stole my Face Mask?" It was Lucina.

"Why, yes. Yes, I did. Finally, number 12...a **Nisekoi Manga Collection.** "

"Who's the manga lover?" Ai snickered. Someone's face went rosy red. That "someone" was Peach.

"...I've always like manga." Everyone began laughing. "IT'S NOTHING TO LAUGH AT! IT'S JUST MY HOBBY!"

 _Peach: Does reading manga make me weird or something?_

"OK, let's sort out the teams!"

 _ **Team 1: Reflet, Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, R.O.B, Ganondorf (Magic Tome Book)**_

 _ **Team 2: Kirby, Captain Falcon, Red, Marth, King Dedede (Warp Star)**_

 _ **Team 3: Ai, Lucario, Ike, Link, Fox (Golden Watering Can)**_

 _ **Team 4: Luigi, Bowser, Ryu, Olimar, Little Mac (Poltergust 5000)**_

 _ **Team 5: Young Link, Bayonetta, Lucas, Diddy Kong, Falco (Majora's Mask)**_

 _ **Team 6: Toon Link, Mr. Game and Watch, Donkey Kong, Ness, PAC-MAN (Wind Waker)**_

 _ **Team 7: Sonic, Cloud, Popo, Shulk, Palutena (World Ring)**_

 _ **Team 8: Dark Pit, Kamui, Snake, Sheik, Mario (Silver Laurel Crown)**_

 _ **Team 9: Wolf, Wario, Jigglypuff, Zelda, Mega Man (Disabled Smart Bomb)**_

 _ **Team 10: Pichu, Roy, Samus, Greninja, Wilma (Pikachu-Styled Game Boy)**_

 _ **Team 11: Lucina, Duck Hunt, Pit, Nana, Yoshi (Navy Face Mask)**_

 _ **Team 12: Peach, Pikachu, Meta Knight, Rosalina, Bowser Jr. (Nisekoi Manga Collection)**_

XO

 _ **New Donk City Square – Team 3**_

"The clue is that the golden watering can is, and I quote, "so high you can't reach, but so clear you can see". Any ideas?" Lucario asked his team, all donning black protective gear and each one of them had small handheld guns and boxes of tranquilizer darts. Ai was shaking.

"You don't get guns in my world."

"Really?" Link asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. My world is a simple village life. It's all I've ever known until I moved out and suddenly became mayor."

"You're a mayor?"

"I thought it was a mistake at first. Anyway, so high you can't reach, but so clear you can see…"

"Haven't a clue…" Fox moaned.

XO

 _ **Liberty Street – Team 7**_

"So, Sonic, any idea which one of these "Seven World Rings" could be our antique?" Cloud asked. Sonic thought for a second.

"I brought two with me, so it's either the purple one or the red one. Either. I doubt he would take both."

"Do they represent anything?" Popo was intrigued.

"They do. Each ring represents an emotion or emotional state. They go as follows: red is rage, yellow is joy, green is hatred, dark blue is pleasure, cyan blue is prayers, grey is wishes and purple is sadness."

"You brought two negative rings?" Shulk raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry…maybe that is why I was…a bit, you know…out of order this morning." The memory made him shudder. His teammates all smiled.

"It's fine." Popo nodded, being the only one in the group who witnessed the whole near-Dark Sonic thing. "At least we have an explanation. The ring, according to the clue, is in "a place with an aura of fear".

"Let's start looking…and keep your guard up. God knows where those Antique Robber jerks are lurking." Sonic directed. The four team-mates nodded in understanding.

XO

 _ **High Street - Team 10**_

"Read the clue, Pichu, so we can find you stupid gaming system." Samus scorned, only for the young Pokémon to start crying. Greninja glared at the bounty hunter before comforting the electric-type. The group started getting looks from passers-by.

"Shush, it's OK. Samus didn't mean it."

"Um…I did, actually."

"Say you didn't."

"That would be lying."

"DO IT!"

"OK, I didn't mean it! There! Happy?"

"T-the clue is this…"make sure you don't confuse it with a dud". Strange…"

"A…dud? Dud means a false copy or something that looks real but isn't." Greninja tapped his chin.

"Great…more riddles…" Roy moaned.

XO

 _ **Rainbow Park - Team 1**_

"You would think there would be more kids here." Ganondorf scorned, not liking how empty the park was. He was faking this feeling of annoyance. He couldn't have been happier. He HATED children. Reflet looked at their given riddle.

"The clue for my tome book is "you'll see it for a split-second but then your ride will be over"."

"We so suck if we can't solve this…" Mewtwo moaned.

"Hey, R.O.B, can you solve the riddle? You must have a good AI in that robotic head of yours." Ganondorf ordered the robot, which then scanned the riddle. He buzzed but his eyes flashed red.

"Riddle not recognized."

"MH made it up at the top of his head then." Dr. Mario rolled his eyes. This test was going great…

"Hang on, hide." Reflet ordered as the group ducked behind some trees. Patrolling the play-park was a man in a dark suit but had a green thumbprint on his back. He had an identical gun to the group.

"He must be an Antique Robber!" Mewtwo growled, his grip on his gun tightening.

"Should we shoot him?" Ganondorf asked. R.O.B's head shook.

"Action not recommended."

"Why not, bolt-face?"

"Target has his guard up. Chance of failure: 78%."

"Oh, man…" Reflet face-palmed. This test was REALLY going great…

XO

 _ **Holy Star Courtyard – Team 6**_

Toon Link's group had already been seen by an Antique Robber and PAC-MAN, DK and Game and Watch were doing the shooting while Ness and Toon observed their clue:

"Where the star meets the moon is where it hides".

A scream came from behind them. The robber had ducked into the shadows, possibly to either reload or to get his energy back from running. Ness saw that the scream was PAC-MAN's, as a dart had struck his left foot.

"Gah! Man, when MH said they make you feel dizzy, he meant it." It was true. The gaming icon was swaying side to side, his face a pale shade of the golden yellow that it usually was.

"Why is he…not teleporting away?" Ness asked to no-one in particular.

XO

 _ **Crystallex Park**_

Sitting at a café was Master Hand, who had seen PAC-MAN getting shot. He was deep in thought.

"Maybe I should have told them that I lied about the whole teleportation thing…"

 **XO**

 **Done! Just one more chapter to go and you'll see who the first victim of the Mole is! Also, please vote on my poll on my profile page (which, I know, is blank…)**

 **Stay sweet!**


	5. Episode 1 Part 4: One Down

**Last part of the last episode! Yay!**

 **Remember, I own no-one! Enjoy.**

 **XO**

 ** _Episode 1 Part 4: One Down_**

 ** _Holy Star Courtyard – Team 6_**

With a half-conscious PAC-MAN in tow, Toon Link's team continued looking for the Hyrulian's Wind Waker.

"That's the third jerkish thing MH has done now." Game and Watch moaned, earning intrigued looks.

"Only the third?"

"Yeah, Toon. One, locking that hedgehog in a tower when he's got a phobia of heights. Two, not telling us that peeking in journals or letting the public know about the game was forbidden. Three, lying about teleportation."

"It's official. Master Hand is a massive douche."

"Yeah...sorry about that." MH suddenly appeared out of nowhere...as per usual. All team-mates, including the weak Pacster, glared at him hard. "I thought you guys wouldn't get hit...guess I was wrong. I'll take PAC-MAN for a remedy shot." He disappeared alongside the team's comrade. That left 4 people on Team 6.

"Let's just find this antique. Read the clue again, Toon." Ness asked. Toon nodded.

"Where the star meets the moon is where it hides."

"Star meets the moon? Maybe sounds religious. There is a cathedral just down the street." DK mentioned, pointing to a large spire that struck out of the buildings. Toon grinned.

"It's a start. Let's go!"

XO

 ** _Pleasure Island – Team 5_**

"Wish we could go on all these rides!" Lucas beamed. Falco scoffed.

"No time, kiddo. Maybe another time."

"Aww..."

"The clue is this: "it is time you had a fine aim"."

"Fine aim...?" Bayonetta moaned, scratching her head. "I know my aim isn't so bad. How about you, Falco darling?"

"Call me darling again, Bay, and I'll make your species extinct."

"Call me Bay again, sweetie, and its Hell for you."

"Can you two stop it!?" Diddy Kong chirped, hands on his hips. "I have a feeling I know where the mask is."

"Where?"

"There, Falco! At the Ball in the Barrel! Hanging up among the other prizes!"

"OK...so we have to win the jackpot prize to win it?"

"Seems like it." Lucas moaned. He wasn't good with aiming.

XO

 ** _Liberty Street – Team 7_**

"Robber dead ahead!" Popo yelled, pulling his gun out and started shooting. He hit the robber in one clean shot and he teleported away. Sonic whistled.

"Good shot."

"Thanks."

"Let's keep going. Aura of fear…since this is your antique Sonic, maybe it's referring to heights." Cloud suggested. Just the mention of heights made Sonic shake like jelly.

"Again with the heights!? Why does this game love tormenting me!? Luckily they don't know about my other pho…" He stopped, realizing he had said too much. "…Oops."

"You have two phobias?"

"Cloud, don't start! It's only a _small_ fear…"

"And that is…?" Palutena pressed.

"Oh no, I'm not setting myself up for laughs."

"Why would we laugh?" Shulk inquired, earning a glare.

"Because EVERYONE does."

"We won't. Goddess's honour." Palutena promised, making Sonic roll his eyes. He bit his lip.

"OK…I'm…ugh…a-afraid of…water."

"Water?" Popo pulled a confused face. "I thought hedgehogs were good swimmers?"

"All but me! Something happened when I was younger and…well…that's the reason I avoid water like the plague. I just seize up."

"Yikes…but that might be where MH put that ring. We're right on the city limits, near the sea. What if…" Popo peered over the bay, seeing several boats tied to a dock a few metres from them, but getting to them would involve swimming. "…it's on one of the boats?"

"Then MH is a massive jerk." Shulk scorned. "If scaring the hedgehog already wasn't bad enough…"

"How…deep is the water…at a guess?"

"Why? You want to do the swimming?" It was meant as a joke on Shulk's part but a determined grimace crossed Sonic's face.

"I have to face my fear sooner or later. I'll do it. You guys cover me in case a robber tries to shoot at me." Everyone nodded, though Palutena's was more subtle. As much as she hated using guns, she had to in this mission.

"Got it. Just…don't push yourself. If you can't do it, come back, OK?"

"Or I'll yell and one of you can get me back to shore." This was a joke. He was laughing. No-one else was. They didn't want the hedgehog drowning. Taking a deep exhale, Sonic did a run-up and dived rather gracefully into the depths. The shock of having water around him initially made him panic but he swallowed down his fear and began swimming. While it was true he could barely swim, he could quickly learn. What he didn't see was a robber ready to snipe him from a shop roof. He only barely dodged the dart that was shot at him. "Up there!" He yelled as he took a breath. His friends nodded, started shooting and hit their target. Sonic reached the first boat and looked. No ring. He dived back in, unaware that a third robber had set his sights on him. He felt something sharp hit his shoulder, making his right arm go dead. He was sinking. Why wasn't he teleporting!? He couldn't kick either, he felt too tired and weak. Now his phobia was really kicking in. All that water around him…he screamed, but that made things worse as water rushed into his throat. Just as he felt he was blacking out, he then felt something, or someone, grab him. It was Shulk, who helped him to the surface. The sniper was shot then by Palutena.

"You OK?"

"Y-yeah…I t-think I got hit…" He felt faint as he desperately coughed to let oxygen into his lungs. Shulk quickly got to the nearest boat and holstered the hedgehog up on it.

"Stay here. I'll look for the ring."

"N-no need." He saw something purple glimmer in the sun. Lying on the deck was a circular purple ring. Shulk grabbed it and all five of them felt themselves teleport away from the bay.

XO

 ** _Crystallex Park_**

"Why didn't you teleport me out of there sooner?" PAC-MAN asked angrily. He had just had the remedy shot and it hurt more than the dart itself. Master Hand saw a light teleport before he could answer.

"Looks like a team has finished."

"Already?"

"MH!" It was Shulk's voice. He was running towards the host with the unconscious hedgehog in his arms. PAC-MAN bit his lip.

"Jumping ghosts! Is he OK?"

"Got hit from a dart while he was in the water. Could have drowned. That's the second time MH has not acknowledged a phobia." Shulk moaned, making MH blink blankly.

"Eh?"

"He has a fear of water as well as heights." Popo explained, earning a sweat-drop.

"…Ah…"

"Seriously, MH. You're the crappiest host ever."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement…" MH sadly lamented as he heard Cloud's comment. PAC-MAN held his breath.

"Again…is he OK?"

"He's fine. Just fainted. He just needs a remedy shot."

"Believe me, they sting like hell." PAC-MAN rolled his eyes, still limping as his foot still felt just about dead.

"You got shot too?" Popo asked. The ghost muncher chuckled nervously.

"Y-yeah…my bad."

 _PAC-MAN: It felt so bad to get shot in that mission. In a way, I let my team down._

 _Popo: At least we added some money to the pot. I hope the other teams do as well._

XO

 ** _City Gardens – Team 2_**

"Are you sure it's going to be on the Christmas tree, which makes you question why they haven't taken it down yet?"

"Triple D, stop whining! Jeez! Just keep looking!" Kirby scorned. Their clue, "it's the twinkle on any tree" made the puffball know the Warp Star was being used as a Christmas decoration.

"Wow, look at this star! It's really shiny!" Captain Falcon mused, admiring his reflection. Kirby slapped him.

"Stop getting so…" He stopped, looking at the star. "…Falcon, you really are a genius. This is my star!"

"That was…easier than I thought it would be." Red nodded, alongside Marth who was surprised at how efficient Falcon was. Kirby touched it and they teleported away.

 _Marth: I'm starting to get suspicious on how well Falcon is doing in this game. He seems really smart and intuitive. While it's true he's helped rescue both a player and a personal possession, his seemingly-dumb attitude makes me wonder how smart he really is._

 _Captain Falcon: Is it me or did I get weird looks when I found that star? I just thought it was a normal star!_

XO

 ** _Pleasure Island – Team 5_**

"Bad luck, my friend. Want another try?"

"Hell yes. I want my mask back!" Young Link yelled, slamming two cents onto the counter and took his three balls. All three missed their target as they bounced out of the barrel. The staff member chuckled.

"Aw, too bad!"

"You're doing it wrong." Bayonetta scorned, placing two cents on the table and took her aim. She got two, but they needed three to get the mask.

"At least you did better than Linky Boy." Falco exclaimed, earning a sharp glare from the team captain.

"Shut it, bird."

"BIRD!?" Falco instantly blew a fuse, lunging at the Hyrulian. Their brawl hit the stall, making the hanging mask drop onto the floor. Bayonetta tapped her chin.

"Give us the mask and I'll give you 45 dollars for it."

"45 dollars!?" The sale manager gawked. That was more than he got in a month. "Done!" Bayonetta scribbled a cheque and grabbed the mask, making the group teleport away.

XO

 ** _Holy Star Courtyard – Team 6_**

"Finally, we made it!" Toon huffed, having managed to escape another Robber.

"Do you think the Pacster's OK?"

"He'll be fine DK."

"Look? Isn't that a sun and moon pedestal?"

"It's called a sun dial." Toon corrected Ness but then saw what seemed to be some kind of baton on the side of it. "YES!"

"Yes what?" Game and Watch asked, not getting an answer as Toon ran up to the dial and grabbed the baton, earning in all four of them teleporting away. They landed in Crystallex Park. "We got our antique." When they saw Teams 7, 2 and 5 standing there as well as PAC-MAN, they had their jaws on the ground. "Seriously, they beat us to it?"

"Hey, where's the hedgehog?" Ness asked.

"Getting a remedy shot." Palutena sourly answered.

"He got shot too?" DK blinked; surprised someone has speedy as Sonic could get hit.

"He was in water. He got shot in the shoulder. Not good when he can barely swim as it is." Shulk explained. All of Team 6's faces went white.

"Is he OK? I mean…doesn't that mean he could have drowned!?"

"Luckily, DK, Shulk pulled him out just in time." Popo explained.

 _Toon Link: So Sonic can't swim…? That's a serious handicap in this game._

 _Shulk: Something tells me this story has just made Sonic more suspicious in some people's books. However, personally, chances of him being the Mole are practically nil. Toon, on the other hand…hmmm, maybe._

"H-Hey, you guys." Everyone turned to see Sonic weakly waving at them. His injured arm was limp by his side, his shoulder being swollen and red…and obviously painful.

"Ouch…that looks nasty." Popo gulped. Sonic just laughed.

"Believe me, I've had worse. Thing is though…I can't raise my arm at all."

"It'll wear off after a while." MH answered, a grin on his face. Sonic wanted to glare at the host but decided not to. He was not in the mood. He sat on one of the grass verges and sighed, wishing the pain radiating from his shoulder would melt away.

XO

 ** _Liberty Baseball Stadium – Team 12_**

"How long have we got left?" Peach asked, searching every seat in case her manga collection, which had cost her quite a solid amount of money to buy online, had been placed there. Rosalina, who was searching some more seats further down from her, looked at her watch.

"20 minutes."

"Crap…we're never gonna find it. The clue doesn't even make any sense…"try not to score low". What type of sucky clue is that?"

"Are we even sure it's even IN the stadium? The city has many sport stadiums."

"We got teleported here Rose so it must be."

"Don't call me Rose…please don't. I don't like it."

"O-Oh…sorry, Rosalina." Peach heartily apologized. Rosalina nodded, accepting the apology. Suddenly, something whizzed into Rosalina's view and something sharp penetrated her lower arm, making her shriek. Peach loaded her gun and shot the robber, which had appeared out of nowhere. Master Hand appeared and retrieved Rosalina from the scene.

"Peach!" A yell came from the other side of the park from Meta Knight. "We might as well give up! We won't be able to find it!"

"No, we're not giving up! Try around the scoreboard."

"Junior is searching there!"

"I FOUND IT!" Junior suddenly yelled, conveniently on cue as they disappeared from the baseball park.

XO

 ** _City Palace Gates – Team 9_**

"OK, we've searched the goddamn street 5 times! No sign of it." Wolf moaned. He was really hoping to cash in on that bomb. Apparently, New Donk City paid millions for one.

"This is so stupid…trying to find a bomb…shall we just leave Wolf to it?" Zelda suggested.

"Too right…he's the idiot…bringing a bomb into a game show…how idiotic." Mega Man concurred.

"The clue…think of the clue…"Your time is running out, put out those flames…" Flames…" Wolf noticed a fire-eater performing near to him. He was refuelling. "Um…excuse me sir."

"Ah, hello wolfie." The man greeted. Wolf took a deep breath to avoid raging.

"Hi, I'm looking for a red spherical object with an S on it. You haven't seen anything like it, have you?"

"Sure have. I have it with me. I was given it." He handed Wolf the red disabled bomb and disappeared and reappeared at Crystallex Park. Teams 2, 5, 6, 7 and 12 were already there. By the looks of it, PAC-Man, Sonic and Rosalina had been shot judging by their pale complexions, sore limbs and the pain in their eyes.

"Did you find your bomb, Wolf?" Falco sneered. Wolf waved it in the air.

"Sure did, feathers."

"FEATHERS!? WHY I OUGHTA…!" He lunged at Wolf and they got into the equivalent of a girly-cat fight. Everyone face-palmed.

XO

 ** _City Square – Team 3_**

"How…many…stairs…!?" Fox was completely out of breath. They had worked out the watering can was on a cloud-watching-designated balcony but there were hundreds of steps leading up. Ai had already sped up there but had also stopped to catch her breath. They reached the top and the sparkle of something gold caught her eye. Ai rushed forward and grabbed the sparkling can, ending her team's endeavour.

 _Ai: We completed our objective. It's a good thing I got my watering can back, I would have to do hundreds of planting tasks to get enough one and I'm not the best gardener in the world._

 _Fox: I'm starting to see why Sonic suspects Ai to be the Mole. She's a bit shady and is definitely hiding some intelligence in that pink head of hers. Either he's right or not…I'm still not sure on who I suspect._

XO

 ** _Crystallex Park – 5:40pm_**

"Alright! Your hour is up! Let's see…5, 6, 7…7 successful teams…that's 14,000 coins added to the pot!"

 **Group Pot: 19,000 coins**

Teleports came from around the park as the 5 other teams teleported back.

"Commiserations, Smashers. You want to know where your antiques were?" He got nods. "Alright…Team 1…the magic tome book…remember the slide at the park. It was taped to the top of it where you slid down as it's enclosed. You had to grab it."

"Well…now it makes sense…" Reflet nodded solemnly, now understanding the clue.

"Team 4…the Poltergust 5000 was on the back of a tourist with bright red hair."

"I thought it was a rucksack." Olimar groaned, getting a glare from Luigi.

"You-a saw it and never-a said!?"

"I didn't know it was!"

"Moving on!" MH yelled, ending the argument. "Team 8…the laurel crown was on the wing of the Angel Statue."

No-one on that team commented but Dark Pit did the wrong clicking-finger thing to show his expression. It was basically him saying "damn".

"Team 10…the game boy was in the gaming shop with a load of Pikachu-styled game boys. Pichu's had the screen one to show you which one it was."

"I thought that was a test dummy…many people were playing on it…THEY RUINED MY HIGH SCORES!" Pichu began crying again.

"Lastly, Team 11…the mask was on the 65th floor of the Liberty Hotel. The unluckiest number is 13 and times that by 5 equals 65."

"We got to 64…we were that close!" Lucina pouted. MH then chuckled.

"Don't you all worry. Your antiques have been put back in your bags and we have checked for any damages. We found none. We are instead staying in the Liberty Hotel tonight. However, meet back here at 9 o'clock. Tonight…" His voice suddenly changed pitch, making all 60 competitors shake. "…one of you will be executed."

 _Ness: I don't want to be the first eliminated! I've made an alliance with Popo (he's funny), Nana (she's strategic), Kirby (he's fun to be with) and Diddy (because he's cool) so I'm hoping this will help me go far…unless I'm working with that damn Mole._

 _Lucina: Calling an elimination an execution is just weird on so many levels._

 _Ai: I don't wanna go home! I don't wanna go home yet!_

XO

 **Liberty Hotel – Dining Room – 7:00pm**

Everyone was enjoying their dinner prepared specially for them by the hotel chefs and all of them had to admit, they did a good job. As Little Mac unrolled his napkin, something fell into his lap. Everyone stared at him when he opened it.

"Hey, what's that?" Rosalina asked, peering. Little Mac blinked.

"It's from the Mole."

"What!?" Everyone screamed at once.

"It says: "The fun has just begun but for one the fun is done – The Mole"."

"Shady…" Ai shivered.

 _Ai: That is one creepy message._

 _Sonic: Chain letters are more scary than that little note Little Mac got. It's pretty clear that the Mole is pretty dumb. My suspicions are changing too…I'm not bothered on Ai…it's too obvious._

 _Peach: It's Rose. She didn't dodge the bullet and she stayed with me the whole challenge. Then again…she didn't necessarily SABOTAGE the challenge…maybe I'm wrong…Junior was searching the scoreboard and only finds it on cue when Meta Knight gives up…hmmm…_

As Ai opened her napkin, a red token fell into her lap.

"What's…this…?"

"I hope no-one forgot I have immunity." Sonic suddenly piped up. "I don't suspect you as much as I did Ai…but I want to see how smart you really are. That's the negativer."

"I get minus 2 points from the get-go!? Can you stop being so mean!?"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who started it."

XO

"I need you to take a 10 question test on the Mole." MH had instructed. Each Smasher had gone back to their rooms, turned on Mole-labelled laptops and began answering the questions.

 ** _Question 1: What gender is the Mole?_**

 ** _A) Male_**

 ** _B) Female_**

Tapping her chin, Wilma tapped her answer.

 ** _Question 2: What team was the Mole on during Hide and Stash?_**

 ** _A) New Pork City Team_**

 ** _B) Beanbean Kingdom Team_**

 ** _C) Neo Bowser City Team_**

 ** _D) The Mole was the Smasher kidnapped_**

Ai looked at option D with temptation.

 ** _Question 3: Did the Mole do repacking?_**

 ** _A) Yes_**

 ** _B) No_**

"Gotta remember the switch…" Falco pondered.

 ** _Question 4: Has the Mole committed any penalty acts?_**

 ** _A) No_**

 ** _B) Yes_**

Ness was quick to click his answer.

 ** _Question 5: What group was the Mole in just before the second test?_**

 ** _A) Exploration Group_**

 ** _B) Waiting Group_**

Rosalina groaned. She was trying to remember who was in which group.

 ** _Question 6: What was the Mole's team looking for during Antiques Roadshow?_**

 ** _A) Magic Tome Book_**

 ** _B) Warp Star_**

 ** _C) Golden Watering Can_**

 ** _D) Poltergust 5000_**

 ** _E) Majora's Mask_**

 ** _F) Wind Waker_**

 ** _G) World Ring_**

 ** _H) Silver Laurel Crown_**

 ** _I) Disabled Smart Bomb_**

 ** _J) Pikachu-styled Game Boy_**

 ** _K) Navy Face Mask_**

 ** _L) Nisekoi Manga Collection_**

Samus smiled and tapped in her selection.

 ** _Question 7: Was the Mole shot by an Antique Robber?_**

 ** _A) Yes_**

 ** _B) No_**

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Sonic groaned and reluctantly tapped the button.

 ** _Question 8: Did the Mole's team find their antique in time?_**

 ** _A) Yes_**

 ** _B) No_**

Toon grinned and clicked the answer he thought was correct.

 ** _Question 9: What did the Mole have for dinner?_**

 ** _A) Macaroni Cheese_**

 ** _B) Roast_**

 ** _C) Pizza_**

 ** _D) Meat-Based Chow Mein_**

 ** _E) Fish and Chips_**

 ** _F) The Mole had a specially made dinner_**

"Quite a few had not-menu stuff…" Roy remembered.

 ** _Question 10: Who is the Mole?_**

Everyone tapped the "finished" button and went downstairs before heading back to the park.

XO

 ** _Crystallex Park – 9:00pm_**

There were 60 seats (30 on each side with 5 rows of 6) lined up in front of the fountain were a desk, a laptop and a screen were awaiting. Master Hand sat in the chair, expectant. The group placed their bags at the front of the setup and sat down. Master Hand nodded.

"The execution works as follows. I type your name into the computer. If a green thumbprint comes up, you're still in the game. If a red thumbprints comes up, you must leave the game immediately. If two got the lowest score, the slowest will leave." He looked at Sonic. "Of course Sonic, because of the failure of the first test, you are immune from this execution. You chose to give the negativer to Ai, meaning 2 points have been deducted from her score. Now…any volunteers to go first?" There was silence for a while.

"Oh, go on then!" Fox put his hand up. MH nodded.

 **FOX**

 **GREEN THUMBPRINT**

Fox let out a sigh of relief and got a wink from Sonic. Another hand went up.

 **FALCO**

 **GREEN THUMBPRINT**

Sonic nodded to himself. His alliance was safe. Ai's hand went up next.

 **AI**

 **GREEN THUMBPRINT**

Two went up at once.

 **POPO**

 **GREEN THUMBPRINT**

Popo got a nod from his sister.

 **CAPTAIN FALCON**

 **RED THUMBPRINT**

Everyone gawked at this. Some people had suspected Falcon to be the Mole...but it seems they were wrong. Even Falcon seem surprised at this. MH nodded sadly and stood.

"Captain Falcon, you are the Mole's first victim. Please take your bag and follow me." Falcon did as he was told, grabbing his bag and following MH to another street where a cab was waiting. "You played a good game."

"Yep, but the Mole got me I guess...it's too bad but I'm OK with it."

"We'll see you at the finale."

"Sure will!" Falcon did his signature salute and got into the cab. MH waved goodbye as it disappeared out of the city.

XO

 **Competitors: Ai, Bayonetta, Bowser, Bowser Junior, Cloud, Dark Pit, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Duck Hunt Duo, Falco, Fox, Ganondorf, Greninja, Ike, Jigglypuff, Kamui, King Dedede, Kirby, Link, Little Mac, Lucario, Lucas, Lucina, Luigi, Mario, Marth, Mega Man, Meta Knight, Mewtwo, Mr Game and Watch, Nana, Ness, Olimar, PAC-MAN, Palutena, Peach, Pichu, Pikachu, Pit, Popo, Red, Reflet, ROB, Rosalina, Roy, Ryu, Samus, Sheik, Shulk, Snake, Sonic, Toon Link, Wario, Wilma, Wolf, Yoshi, Young Link, Zelda**

 **Executed: Captain Falcon**


End file.
